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PRACTICAL TRAVELER: HURRICANES; Riding Out the Storms While on Vacation

By BETH GREENFIELD

Published: July 31, 2005

IF last summer's tempests weren't a powerful enough reminder of the risks of traveling during hurricane season, this year's early string of violent storms should do the job. Between Dennis and Emily, and the National Weather Service's grim prediction of seven to nine hurricanes this season, the odds of a tropical getaway turning into a brush with disaster seem stacked against the traveler.

With the Caribbean and Florida now fully established as year-round destinations, travel industry officials have a new mantra for storm-dodging travelers: Be prepared. Hotels and cruise lines are also heeding that advice with hurricane-protection policies and evacuation procedures, many of which have been refined or introduced following the devastation caused by last year's major storms -- Ivan and Frances.

Club Med, for instance, began offering a hurricane protection program in mid-June that provides guests with a future travel certificate in the event of a hurricane. The voucher can be used within a year to visit one of eight Club Med resorts in locations from the Dominican Republic to the Turks and Caicos.

TNT Vacations, a Boston-based company that books charter vacations to Mexico, Bermuda, Costa Rica and the Caribbean, has reinstituted last year's hurricane policy, which promises a free replacement vacation, including round-trip air fare, if such a storm interrupts a client's time away. Similarly, SuperClubs, which operates inclusive resorts on several Caribbean islands, has what it calls a no-hurricane guarantee, which doles out reimbursements for all disrupted vacation nights; in addition, guests who are forced to extend their stays if there are no flights out will be allowed to do so free of charge.

Other hotels offer replacement-stay guarantees, among them the Reef Resort in Grand Cayman, which sustained $7 million in damage from Hurricane Ivan last year and included upgraded soffit vents (to fend of driving rains) in its renovations, and the Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort on Grand Bahama Island, which spent several millions in repairs after significant water damage last year.

''We had people who checked out early and didn't want to stay'' for Hurricane Ivan, said Derrick Samuel, a desk clerk at the Half Moon Montego Bay Resort in Jamaica. Those guests received refunds, according to Stacy Gabbidon, a spokeswoman who added that, during airport closings, stranded guests receive a 25 percent discount.

Hurricane readiness goes far beyond financial guarantees, however, noted Pierre Battaglia, general manager of the Sans Souci Resort and Spa in Ocho Rios Jamaica, which was sideswiped by Dennis in early July. Unless you're a storm chaser, no hotel is going to seem very attractive during a hurricane, but all-inclusive resorts like Sans Souci, which are geared to providing everything from round-the-clock meals and emergency medical care to a full array of recreational activities, including some indoors, may be the best place to ride out a storm.

Mr. Battaglia said the resort has planned for weather emergencies, and that the most important step was to keep vacationers informed through meetings. ''It's important to be very open,'' he added.

When Hurricane Dennis struck, Mr. Battaglia said, staff members told guests to avoid the beach and tree-lined areas, and to take their terrace furniture into their rooms. They also advised patrons when hotel services, like meals and recreational activities, would and would not be available. ''I had guests helping my crew bring in boats and secure the grounds,'' he said, ''and we had no incidents. After it passed we all had dinner, and everybody seemed to enjoy.''

In addition to refunds in the form of vouchers, Sans Souci gave a free two-night stay to guests who were stranded by airport closings, said Mr. Battaglia.

Most cruise lines do not have formal storm policies, citing their freedom of movement as a factor that makes rerouting relatively simple. ''We review each trip on a case-by-case basis,'' said Michael Sheehan, a Royal Caribbean spokesman. ''It's very rare that a sailing would be canceled because of a hurricane. The joy of a cruise is that it's mobile, so you just sail away from the storm and into nice, sunny weather.'' Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line also said they assess storms on a ''case by case'' basis; Norwegian suggests that clients opt for the company's travel insurance (prices are based on the cost of the trip) to protect against unforeseen events, including hurricanes.

Airlines operate on a similar basis. For Hurricane Dennis, American, Continental, Delta and US Airways, among others, temporarily waived flight-change fees that applied to specific dates in July.

The surest financial protection is to purchase travel insurance when you book your vacation. ''There are 20 to 30-plus reasons why somebody may not be able to go on their scheduled trip, and hurricanes, or bad weather, is one of those risks,'' said Jonathan Ansell, president of the United States Travel Insurance Association, which, he said, has 30 members that issue 90 percent of all American travel-insurance policies.

One such company is the Wisconsin-based Travel Guard International, which has seen a recent surge in calls due to storms and other events. ''On July 5th through 9th, between Hurricane Dennis and the London bombing, our calls were up about 35 percent, both from policy holders and new customers,'' said a Travel Guard spokesman, Dan McGinnity. Travel Guard's Protect Assist plan, for example, will insure a 37-year-old traveler's $3,000 vacation for $139.

CSA Travel Protection, based in California, does its biggest business in vacation-rental insurance. It has also seen a recent rise in consumer interest. ''This season, we've gotten as many calls from people going to Galveston as are going to Key West,'' said Lee Hughes, a spokesman.

But be aware that rushing to purchase insurance once a hurricane warning has been issued won't do any good, as insurers cover clients against ''unforeseeable'' situations -- not those already declared. ''You can't buy house insurance for your house if it's already on fire,'' Mr. Ansell said.